The use of trampolines for exercise and fitness routines has been popular on a global status for many years. Since the basic trampoline was invented or first used in public in 1936 its progress has been gradual but successful. These have developed into small versions of traditional trampolines some of which have handles that attached to the legs or frame. These have presented issues over recent years by breaking or becoming damaged during use. Due to the way that the known handles are attached, the constant movement and pressure on the handle provides wear on the area where it is clamped onto the leg and often breaks, which can be dangerous.
The history of the trampoline extends from Nissen was a gymnastics and diving competitor and Griswold was a tumbler on the gymnastics team, both at the University of Iowa, USA. They had observed trapeze artists using a tight net to add entertainment value to their performance and experimented by stretching a piece of canvas, in which they had inserted grommets along each side, to an angle iron frame by means of coiled springs. It was initially used to train tumblers but soon became popular in its own right. Nissen explained that the name came from the Spanish trampolin, meaning a diving board. George Nissen had heard the word on a demonstration tour in Mexico in the late 1930s and decided to use an anglicized form as the trademark for the apparatus. In 1942, Griswold and Nissen created the Griswold-Nissen Trampoline & Tumbling Company, and began making trampolines commercially in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The generic term for the trademarked trampoline was a rebound tumble and the sport began as rebound tumbling.
It has since lost its trademark and has become a generic trademark. Using a trampoline can be dangerous, and in organized clubs and gyms there are usually large safety end-decks with foam pads at each end and spotters placed alongside the trampoline to try to break the fall of any athlete who loses control and falls.
The majority of injuries occur on privately owned home trampolines. Bouncing off a trampoline can result in a fall of 3-4 meters (10-13 ft) from the peak of a bounce to the ground or a fall into the suspension springs and frame. The handles on smaller trampolines often break during use, due to the known way in which they are attached. There has been an increase in the number of home trampolines in recent years and a corresponding increase in the number of injuries reported, leading some medical organizations to suggest that they be banned. Authorities recommend that only one person should be allowed to jump at a time to avoid collisions and people being catapulted in an unexpected direction or higher than they expect. In fact, one of the most common sources of injury is when there are multiple users bouncing on the trampoline at one time. More often than not, this situation leads to users bouncing into one another and thus becoming injured; many suffer broken bones as a result of landing strangely after knocking into another user.
Another of the most common sources of serious injury is an attempt to perform somersaults without proper training. In some cases, people land on their neck or head, which can cause paralysis or even death. A famous incident in the 1960s paralyzed pole-vaulting champion Brian Sternberg from the neck down.
Danger can be reduced by burying the trampoline so the bed is closer to the surrounding surface to lessen falling distance, and padding that surrounding area. Pads over the spring and frame reduce the severity of impact injuries. Keeping the springs covered also reduces the risk of a limb falling between the gaps in the springs and the rest of the body falling off of the trampoline.
Kits are available for home trampolines that provide a retaining net around the trampoline and prevent users from bouncing over the edge, these include nets and coverings and attached handles. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that there is no epidemiological evidence that these improve safety. The nets do prevent jumpers falling off the trampoline onto the ground, these falls are not the most common source of injury and multiple users bouncing in a netted trampoline can still be injured. This would have a larger benefit for safeguarding solo trampolinists, so long as they avoid falling on their head/neck.
Having some training in a gym may be beneficial in alerting people to possible hazards and provide techniques to avoid bad falls.
Family-oriented commercial areas in North America such as shopping centres, carnivals, and so on, often include closed inflatable trampolines (CITs) as a children's attraction. These have safety nets on the sides to prevent injuries.
A mini-trampoline (also known as a rebounder, trampette, jogging trampoline, or exercise trampoline) is less than 1 meter (3 ft 3 in) in diameter and about 30 centimeters (12 in) off the ground, often kept indoors and used as part of a physical fitness regime.
So-called rebounding provides a form of exercise with a low impact on knees and joints. Mini-trampolines do not give a rebound as high as larger recreational or competitive trampolines.
These mini versions provide use for fitness and are often provided with handles attached to them.
The requirement for a handle on these smaller examples, relates more to the user standing vertically and bouncing or rebounding up and down or in forward or backward varying motion and requiring a handle or steadying bar to hold to remain in the correct position for their exercise routine.
Known examples may often attach to the short supporting legs of the trampoline using direct location and clamping or various types.
However, owing to the primitive nature of this known design and the repeated stress applied to the attachment point during usage, the legs or collar used for attachment often break away from the frame of the trampoline or other related damage occurs rendering the equipment unusable.
The present invention discloses an improved method of attaching a handle arrangement that will perform more in line with the requirements of the user and not damage the support legs or other related areas of the trampoline.